Child Room Makeovers: Furniture that Grows with Your Child

Giving your child's room a makeover doesn't have to be a major production. With a little elbow grease, the same furniture can be used from the time your baby moves into his first "big boy" or "big girl" bed until they move out on their own. The key is to buy quality pieces and then customize them.

When your toddler is ready for a full-size bed, go shopping for furniture that will meet his or her needs. You can choose between a headboard with bookshelves and just a plain wooden or metal frame. The variety available means that every child should be able to find something that they love.

Consider getting a platform bed with drawers beneath. This saves space in your child's room, as you can purchase a smaller chest of drawers or skip getting one altogether. It also eliminates the need for a box spring. A good bed can save you money!

If you decide against the platform bed approach, you will need a chest of drawers or a dresser. Should you decide against a deep headboard, consider a bedside table as well. You may not wish to use it immediately but it could be difficult to get a matching piece in 6 or 8 years when you want one. While you aren't required to get a matching set, it does improve the look of the child's room.

Another way to save time and money is to purchase the furniture unfinished. Since the entire point is to customize the look based on your child's favorite colors and characters, bare wood will require less preparation. You can paint or stain the wood any color combination your child prefers and purchase custom drawer pulls and other accents.

Consider stencils or wallpaper appliqués for various cartoon or book characters. These make the furniture more personal to your child and can help a reluctant toddler get accustomed to the larger bed. The additions will be painted over or removed with the next incarnation of your child's taste.

Your son or daughter is unlikely to love the same look at 10 as they did at 3. In fact, they are likely to decide at 5 or 6 that their earlier favorites are for "babies". This is where it gets fun. The older your child is, the more they can help, but they can participate in a room makeover in small ways no matter their age. The change can be anything from a quick re-spray over the last incarnation to a full strip and re-finish.

Let your children design the finished look - within reason, of course - and they will enjoy the final product far more. Combining colors, learning techniques that you can expand to the walls, and adding names, words, or pictures will open their eyes to the creativity and fun while getting them "new" furniture for a fraction of the cost.

All it takes to make over the look of your child's room is repainting their furniture and the purchasing of new hardware to make it look new again. A coordinating bed spread and curtains complete the transformation. Repeat as needed!